Sottwd-bepbodttctitg machihj foe advebtising purposes



L L. CHRlSTENSEN.

SOUND REPROUUCzNG MACHNE FOP. ADVkRTSIN PUROSES.

APxLxcM'mN man mv. 1,193,762.

QU, S914,

named '2 SHEETSTSHEET 2,

\N\/ ENTCR,

ATTORNEY s E S 5 E N .mlm w EDWARD L. CHRISTENSEN, 'OF ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SSIGNR O33' CNE-HALF TQ WILLIAM J. ROSS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SOUND-REPRODUCING MACHINE FOR ADVERTISING PURPOSES.-

Specification of Letters Patent4 Patented Auw. 1916.

Application filed November`20, 1914. Serial No. 873,182.

'new and useful Sound-Reproducing Ma.-

cl'iine for Advertising Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sound reproducing machines, and its object isl to provide such a machine so constructed as to emit words, phrases, or sentences constituting advertising or other matter on the occasion of certain acts performed by various persons.

In accordance with the present invention a. sound reproducing initalking machine is provided with a sound record which may contain numerous repetitions of the same. words, phrases orvsentences for successive reproduction thereof, or may contain any desired recorded sounds either for advertising or for announcement purposes. The talking,r machine is so constructed and arranged that it may be made fast to a door vcasing above the door in such manner thaton opening the door the' talking machine is -set 'into motion and reproduces a suitableportion of the record, after which the nia chine is automatically stopped. The open- "iiig ot' the door also winds` up the propelling `spring o't' theY talking machine to an extent compensatiiipr for the active movenient of the talkinpIr machine caused by a previous opening!` of the door. rlhe talkingr machine is primarily wound up to a desired extent and is kept woundiip to the extent it unwinds v ou each active movement of the talking machine hy the opcninpr movements of the door.

lt is the purpose of the present invention to install the, talking,r machine over store doors or other doors leadingr into rooms entered by customers or others to whom the announcemciits inade bythe talking machine may be of interest. 'ihccustomer on opening the door sets the talking,r machine in mo tion, though this n'iaj.' he an unconscious act on the part of thc customer, and the machine continues intoperation 'for a time for which it may he prem-ranged, and then automatically stops. Successive openings of the door cause the talking machine to he set in motion each time the door is opened, until finally the sound reprmlacing element has reached the limit of its travel, whereupon such sound reproducing element, customA arily called theI sound box, is returnedvto the initiai position by the automatic ope-rae tion of suitable mechanism. Since the Sprinpr usually employed in such machinesis wound up before cach operation to the extent which it runs down during such operation, the spring remains wound to the original condition, and if the spring he wound up i initially to the proper tension, the only thing which will cause the spring?r to run below its initial tension will he the power consumed in returning'the sound box lfrom the position representing the end o its travel to the beginning point of such travel. Even. this may be provided for by so adjusting the intermittent windinfY actions that each winding action is slightly in excess of the amount required to restore the used energy on each operation of the talking machine for reproduction of sound. T he machine is capable of such adjust-ment witlirrespect to the winding as to run indefinitely, the power needed to maintain the motor spring under proper tension being supplied by the persons i .arrange-A from a consideration of the following dev tailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with the further understanding Vthat while the-drawings show a practical form ot' the invention, the latter is not confined to a ny strict conformity with the showing of the ra\vings, but may be changed and modifild so longr as such changes and modifications in :rk n0 material departure from the salient eatures'of the invention. A Y

In the drawings :---Figure 1 is a front ele 'ation with some parts broken away and showingthe invention applied to a door frame. Fig. is an end elevation ofV the structure of Fig. i with 'some parts broken away to disclose more distant parts and the door frame shown in crosssection. Fig. E.

is an elevation of tiux end ot' the talking ma' a perspective view of a portion of the mecluoV nism embodied in the present invention."

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary'cross-section through the feed screws and adjacent parts. Fig 6 is a. fragmentary section through the feed nuts and also showing small sections of the feed screws in their relative positions with respect to the 'feed nuts. Fig. 7 is a. fragmentary section showing a portion of the rewinding structure.

Referring tol-.the drawings there is shown a door l and one corner of a door frame 2, the door being assumed to open toward the observer in. the showing of F ig. 1 and the corner illustrated being that remote from the hinge sident the door.

There is provided al box or casing 3 designed to house the motor mechanism of the talking machine, which motor mechanism is not shown in the drawingsLbut is simply indicated by a spring casing 4 and arbor 5 and some other parts which will be named as needed.

The motor mechanism in its specific construction does not enter into the present invention as a part thereof, and hence has been omitted in most part from the drawings as Unnecessary for an understanding of the invention, and as liable to cause confusion with those parts of the structure peculiar to the present invention.

On top of the casing 3 are end members G, 7, respectivelv, carrying the usual man drel S designed to receive a sound record indicated at 9, and in the particular instance shown as of the cylinder type.

The end members (3 and 7 rising from the top of the Casing carry the usual feed screw 10 driven by gearing members 11, 12, propelled from that portion of the mechanism driven by the ,ring i, as, for instance, by a primary driving gear 13. It is customary in the. type ot' `machine. illustrated to drive the mandrei i) by a pulley 14 and belt 15, the latter receiving motion. 'from another pulley 1G connected up by suitable gearing, not shown, with the power gear Wheel 13.

Mounted in the end members 6 and 7 is a guide rod 17 for a carriage sleeve 18. Projecting from this sleeve 18 is an arm 1i) appropriately curved or otherwise. shapedto overhang the i'nandrel 8 and record tablet 9 thereon, and at the outer end of this arm 19 there is mounted sound box 20 provided with a stylus and carrying an amplifyu ing horn 22. The sleeve 18 also carries by an arno 23 a halt' nut Q4 adapted to move into and out or' mesh. with the feed screw 1t".

The parts so far described may in the main correspond to similar parts in difierent forms o't talking machines of the graphophone or phonograph type employing cylindrical tablets, but it will be understood that certain features of the present invention are adaptable to other types of talking machines. It Vwill be understood, there fore, that the present invention in the prim ciples thereof is not of necessity confined to the. cylinder type of sound reproducing or talking machines. v

It will be further understood that while certain features of the machine illustrated are shown as uncovered orl exposed, protecting casings or coverings are provided wherever' needed after the usual custom in machines of the general character to which the present invention relates; As an instance of this it is customary to incluse the feed screw 1() in a protecting shield or tube, but such structure has been omitted in the showing of the drawings in order that parts material to the present invention are not hidden or confused by a 'too specific disclosure of structures not entering directly into the present invention. There is also provided another screw shaft 25 mounted in the end members 6 and 7 and extending between them. This shaft carries a gear pinion smaller than and meshing with `the gear wheel 11 Wherefore the shaft 25 rotates faster than the shaft 10. The screw threads of the shaft 10 are usually of line pitch, while the threads of the shaft may be of a much coarser or elongated pitch for a pur-y pose which will presently appear.

The sleeve 18 carries another arm 27 in turn carrying a half nut 28 adapted to meshA with the threads of the screw shaft 25, but the arrangement is such that When one half nut, say, the nut 24, is in mesh with the Ashaft 10, the half nut 28 is out of mesh with the shaft 25 and vice versa. These movements into and out of mesh of the two halt' nuts are brought about by a rocking n ovenient of the sleeve 18 on the lrod 17. The. weight of the sound box 20 and arm 19 tends to rock the Sleeve 18 in the direction to move the half nut 24 into mesh with the rod 10, and under these conditions the stylus 21 is in engaging relation with some portion of the sound groove upon the record tablet 9. lVhen a force is exerted upon the sound box 20 and arm 19 in opposition to the force `ot' gravity and sufficient to overcome it, the nut 2i is niovednout oit engagement with the rod 10 and the nut 28 is moved into engage, ment with the rod 25. This torce in opposition to the force of gravity is exerted by a rain :29 mounted on the shaft 1G and at an appropriate"time engaging a pin or finger BU carried by the sleeve 18 and so related to the cam that the sleeve 18 is rocked suiiiciently to lit't the stylus 2l away from the record tablet 9 and also to bring into operation certain other devices which will sc lbed farther on. The sound box 2() on the slde thereof remote from the arm 19 is provided with a lug eyes 3i. together carrying a pin 33 urged toward the mandrel by a spring 34- carried by the pin. This spring at one end engages one of the eyes and at the other end engagesl a pin 35 traversing the pin or rod 33. That end of thepin or rod 33 constituting the outer `end thereof is provided with a. manipulating head 3G permitting the pin or rod to be moved lengtlnvise whenever desired. Extending along that portion of the top of the casing 3 adjacent to the front thereof which correspon-ds to the part of the casing toward which the amplifier 22 projects. is an upright guide plate 3i', the top of which is at a suitable height and so related to the pin 232i as to constitute a track therefor. When the pin is upon the lop ot the plate 33 the stylus 2l is in the inactive position, that is, it is elevated from the sound record 9, and at the salue time the half nut is in mesh with the screw shaft 25. At that end of the track or plate 37 corresponding to the beginning end of the record tablet l) the plate is formed with a downward and forward bevel 3H so positioned that when the pin or rod 33 reaches this beveled portion, the weight of the sound box is suiicient to cause the sound box to drop, since it is no longer supported by the pin 33 on top of the track plate 37. The bevel 38 facilitates this movement, and when the sound box is again moved forward the bevel 38 causes a movement of the pin 33 in opposition to the spring Bl until the corresponding end ot' the pin then engages agains'l the outer face of the plate 37, and so ott'ers no material impediment to the movement of the sound boX in the active direction. Such active movement is brought about by the main feed screw 10 with which the half nut 2l engages when the sound box drops as described, and the drop of the sound box is so regulated that the stylus 21 is then in proper relation to the sound groove in the tablet l). The lug 31 may in this position of the parts engage on top of the track plate 37, thus holdingrthe sound box from dropping beyond a predetermined limit. loth arms 2,3 and 27 may be of :inelastic nature, so that the respective half nuts E24-and 27 are held in appropriately firm engagement with the feed screws without putting any parts under undue strain. y

Carried by the lug 31 is an arm 3f) having an angle end 40 pivoted to the lug 3l by the pin 33 or otherwise, so that the arm 3S) is practically horizontal. The edge of the arm 39 which may then constitute the lower edge is formed with a series of one-way notches 41, each ending in an abrupt shoulder 42 and slanting from this shoulder until merging into the under edge of the arm.

livoted upon a stud 43 projecting from the casing 3 is a rockarm or lever 4l eXtendingr approximately upright in the installed position of the-device. The upper end ot the lever 44 is formed with a bevel 45 so positioned as to underride the arm 39. The lower end of the lever 'sl-l has an extension 4G liinged to the lever so as to freely move one way, but canse movement of the lever with it in the other direct-ion, and this extension. -lG is of such length that when the talking machine casing 3 is made fast to the lintel portion of the door casing by brackets 47 or otherwise, the lower end of the extension 46 is in the path of the door l on its opening movement to cause a corresponding movenient o. the lever 44. iVhen, however, the door is closed the extension 46 freely yields on its hinge to permit the closing of the door without. active participation of the lever 44.

Projecting from a post 48 erected on the casing 3 at the same end of the latter as the lever Llis a pin or stud 49, on which is tulcruzned a roc arm 50. One end ol' this arm, constituting the lower end thereof, is pivotally connected to a slide rod 51 extending into the interior of the casing and bearing against a friction disk 52, which may he the usual friction disk provided in the governor structure ot' the talking machine driving mechanism, but which governor strueture is omitted from the dra wing. The outer end of the rock-arm or lever 5() and constituting the upper end thereof is hi'ifur'ta-tcd as shown at 53, so as to straddle the arm BS) from below. This lever 5() is so arranged that it will engage in any one ot the notches all and be engaged by the shoulder l2 thereof for operations to be described.

Mounted on the arbor 5 is a ratchet wheel 54 and also mounted on the arbor is a roclc arm which in normal position projects downwardly through an opening 56 in the bottom ot' the 'casing 3 for a sullicient distance to be in the path ot' the door l in the installed position of the talking machine. The lower end of the arm has a one-wayy hinged extension 5l' and the arm also carries a pawl 58 designed to engage the terth of the ratchet wheel 54.

The spring contained within the casing l hasthe usual pawl and ratchet stop mechanism' 5d.

Let it be assumed that the talking machine is properly installed upon the door casing with the ar'm extensions fill and 57 suitably positioned to be engaged by the door 1 on the opening movement of the latter, and let it further be assumed that the door closes the entrance to a store, although it may he as well assumed that this door clo s the entrance to any other room where it may he desired to install the apparatus ot the present invention. Let it be further assluucd that upon the record tablet 9 there is a series of announcements which may or may not be all alike, and each of which is ot' sullicient length to correspond to the distance between two notches -ll ot the arm or Vor other person, opens thedoor 1.

bar 39. It is also assumed that the Aspring Within the spring barrel orcasing 4 has been wound to propel the mechanism. -The tendency of the power spring is to rotate the shaft 10 to which it may .be' considered as constantly connected; The forward tendency is imparted to the sleeve 18 corresponding to the usual sound box carriage, so that there is aV constant tendency to move the sound box over the sound record in the forward direction, so as to reproduce sounds from the sound record under the further assumption that the stylus 21 is in engagement -with the sound record groove of the sound record tablet 9 which it is when the parts are ready for reproduction of the recorded sounds. Suppose, now, that some person, a customer Such door first engages the extension 57 in a manner to swing the arm 55 about the arbor 5 as a' pivot and engage and move the ratchet 54 in a direction to wind the spring a certain amount. This winding action may be delivered directly on the arbor 5 or through any suitable increasing or reducing mechanism, so as-to impart to the spring Within the drum or barrel 4 u, 'winding movement representing the force expended in the reproduction of the desired amountn of the sound record. As soon as the door has passed the arm 55 it falls back to its normal pendent position either by gravity or be cause of some suitable force applied thereto, as by a'return spring or otherwise. Now the door in its further opening movement comes into Contact With the extension 46 of the lever it and causes a rocking movement of the latter to an extent bringing the beveled end into engagement with the under edge ot' the arm or bar 39 to raise this liar suliiciently to escape `from engagement with the upper end of the.' lever 50. The propeL ling mechanism of the talking machine is thus released from locking engagement with the lever through the shoulder 42 of the particular notch 41 in which the upper end of the lever was seated, and the mechanism begins to actively move, since pressure of the rod 51 upon the disk was removed by the liftingr ot' the bar 3S) from locking engagement with the lever 50. The further openingr ot' the door releases the levi-r 4i which at once is moved back to its first position by a spring 4i or otherwise. and also may be urged to such position hy the weight of the bar $39. ln the meantime. however. the mechanism has moved sufficiently to bring,Y the bottom edfle 'ot' thc bar 2&5) into thc bifurcated upper end of thi-` lcvcr 50. so that no shoulder 42 is at the time in position to engage the lever 50 to bring: about a stopping of the mechanism. The talking machine, therefore, continues to operate and the recorded sounds are reproduced and into a. desired';tension amply sufficient tensiied through the amplifier 22, so that persons within the store, and especially -cus tomers, are given certain information which may be of an-advertisingor instructive character. This continues until the next notch 41 in order is brought into coincidence with the lever 50, whereupon the arm 39 drops as permitted by the notch into the bifurcated upper end of the lever 50, so that the next shoulder ultimately engages the lever and the continued movementof the sound box carriage progressively rocks the lever 50 until the rod 51 engages the disk 52 With sufficienty frictional intensity to stop the .mechanism. While this operation is progressing: the door may have been closed, but the ex tensions i6 and 57 being` one way extensions, yield inactively to the closing movement of the door. lVhen the door is again opened the same operations follow, except that the next portion of the record tablet in order is reproduced. Successive openings of the door 'canse successive reproductions of the record tablet through progressive portions thereof until finally the end of the active travel of the reproducer and its carriage has been reached. This brings the finger 30 into the path of the cam 29 and the parts are so timed that at this point the continued rotation of the power screw shaft 10 causes a rocking movement ot' the carriage sleeve 18 sufficient to iitt the. sound box out of active engagement' with the sound record .9,whereupon the pin 33 is propelled by its spring 34 into overriding' relation to the upper edge of the track plate 37. This action removes the half nut 24 from the feed screw shaft 10 and brings the hallc nut Q8 into engagement with thcfreturn screw shaft 25, which be` cause of its connection with the power side ot the operating devices continues to rotate, but propels the carriage 18 in the -reverse direction or toward the initial posi tion. This is permitted by the'bar 39 since the notches therein are one Way notches and are inactive to the lever 50 when the carriage is reversed in movement. The reverse movement. continues until the pin 33 reaches the bevel 3S ot the track plate 37, whereupon the track no longer supports the carriage. The latter drops until the lug' 3l arrests further movement by engagement with the top of the track plate 37 and the pin 33 is in the retracted position to move alongr the front upright tare ot' the plate 37. The Y so proportioned that in this podr is coincident With the lever 50, and th` r der 42 h v a slight forward rooien nt sound box carriage engages the rocks the same so that the i i moved into locking: engagr. friction disk 52. The machine n in operative position ready to start f'igain on the next opening,r of the door.

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